The invention relates to brakes for vehicles and particularly to brakes of the type which utilize a generally planar member which is urged downwardly against the pavement independently of any braking action which may occur at the vehicle wheels. The prior art includes various apparatus having a general similarity to the present invention. This includes the following U.S. Pat. Nos: Blain, 3,005,521; Jones, 3,554,328; Dowty, 2,877,969; Polovitch, 2,871,986; and Howells, et al, 3,799,293. Such apparatus has been primarily concerned with the actuating means for employing such braking systems. Relatively little consideration has been given to the means for carrying the pad in a manner which will insure that it impacts on the ground with the face thereof generally parallel to the pavement or ground. It will be apparent that with the use of a relatively large pad any variation in the angular position of the pad will cause substantial wear on a localized portion of the pad.
Accordingly it is a primary object of the invention to provide apparatus which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which will maintain the angular orientation of the pad with respect to the underside of the vehicle and the pavement and which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.